The General Chat Thread

Tarzana

Does anyone ever go to thank a post with food photos and an ingredients list and then stop when you see there's a foodstuff in there you don't like? I'm like that about chickpeas. And a few other bits.

Jezek

Tarzana wrote: »

Does anyone ever go to thank a post with food photos and an ingredients list and then stop when you see there's a foodstuff in there you don't like? I'm like that about chickpeas. And a few other bits.

Nope. There are no foodstuffs in the world that I dislike. Havent' found one yet!

MissFlitworth

Alun wrote: »

Talking of herbs, has anyone ever seen Lovage plants for sale anywhere in Ireland? I had one in Holland and loved it, but haven't seen it over here.

Almost a year later but I was in Mr Middleton's Garden Shop on Mary Street in Dublin and they had Lovage plants today. Just in case you're still looking (I did that whiparound-head "Someone on Boards Wanted This!!!' thing when I saw it)

the beer revolu

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Almost a year later but I was in Mr Middleton's Garden Shop on Mary Street in Dublin and they had Lovage plants today. Just in case you're still looking (I did that whiparound-head "Someone on Boards Wanted This!!!' thing when I saw it)

Lovage is a strange flavour but I found it works quite nicely in an Irish stew.
What else do people use it in?

Loire

Hi All,

Just to report from a fab "foodie" day (even though I'm not mad on the term). Saturday just gone I spent a day in cooking heaven when I attended Neven Maguire's "Mastering Meats" class at his cookery school. It was a great day. 12 of us being taught by the gent himself. Exactly as I thought it would be...relaxed and very well organised. Having spent time there I think half of the reason Neven comes across as being so relaxed is that (1) he is anyway, and (2) he is soo organised.

The main meats we covered were:
Chicken - we made chicken spring rolls.
Pork Belly - we made pork belly braised in red wine & stick, fried off in a sticky honey based sauce - to die for!
Duck Breast
Point Tip Beef

As well as the meat dishes, we made some sauces, red chilli jam, pesto and the most amazing dessert called Posset...really easy but yum.

The place itself is fab and it was great to spend a day in a proper kitchen...kitchen envy big time....the best of gear.

At lunch time we ate what we had cooked and this was followed by a cheese & wine tasting session. We got a tour of the herb garden and it was very impressive. Again, this was so organised. The best bit then was a tour of the kitchen. Just what you would see on Master Chef and the likes....the staff busy prepping for that night's dinner...this was at 1:30pm! Again, everything looked very organised and ran like a well-oiled machine.

The course itself is not cheap, but I really think it's very good value. Got such a buzz from it and got some great tips.

If anyone is thinking of getting a pressie for themselves (this was my Xmas present), I would highly recommend this.

Loire.

Animord

Sounds wonderful Loire! I have heard great things about those courses.

The pork belly was braised in red wine and what? Typo I am guessing!

Can't wait for you to cook the stuff so we can get the recipes :P

Merkin

What a SUBLIME sounding day Loire, I'm jealous! I love Neven, he seems like a thoroughly lovely chap who really cares about food. I'm sure the tips you picked up there will be used for years to come. How did you cook the duck?

Loire

Animord wrote: »

Sounds wonderful Loire! I have heard great things about those courses.

The pork belly was braised in red wine and what? Typo I am guessing!

Can't wait for you to cook the stuff so we can get the recipes :P

Red wine and stock! 3 hours. Then wrapped in tin foil and kept in the fridge. Cut into slices then and fried off in the sticky honey sauce. Fab!

B0jangles

Talking of remembering that someone was looking for a hard-to-find ingredient, The Oriental Emporium at the Jervis St. Luas stop has candlenuts. They are cunningly hidden underneath the cashews at the end of the shelf which as all the nuts on it.

Loire

Merkin wrote: »

What a SUBLIME sounding day Loire, I'm jealous! I love Neven, he seems like a thoroughly lovely chap who really cares about food. I'm sure the tips you picked up there will be used for years to come. How did you cook the duck?

It was sublime alright! Duck breast was fried - fat down, for a few mins and then finished off in the oven.

Best bit was that we couldn't eat everything and got to take the leftovers home. I divided it between 4 adults and although they were very small portions at that stage everyone thought it was fab.

Really buzzing from it and know exactly what I want from Santa this year already!

Animord

Loire wrote: »

Red wine and stock! 3 hours. Then wrapped in tin foil and kept in the fridge. Cut into slices then and fried off in the sticky honey sauce. Fab!

Oh dear Lord. That sounds fab!

the beer revolu

Loire wrote: »

Red wine and stock! 3 hours. Then wrapped in tin foil and kept in the fridge. Cut into slices then and fried off in the sticky honey sauce. Fab!

Ha,ha. One day with a profession chef and you're using terms like fried off.:P
I suppose all the butter you use from now on will be cubed by someone else before you use it too!

Glad you enjoyed it . Nevin is one of the nicest fellas you could meet. I always suspected it might be a screen persona, but having met the guy, he really is that nice. Serious cook too.

Loire

the beer revolu wrote: »

Ha,ha. One day with a profession chef and you're using terms like fried off.:P
I suppose all the butter you use from now on will be cubed by someone else before you use it too!

Glad you enjoyed it . Nevin is one of the nicest fellas you could meet. I always suspected it might be a screen persona, but having met the guy, he really is that nice. Serious cook too.

The whole thing was class. I had eaten there about 7 years and could still taste the lamb! It's a terribly cliched thing to say, but he really is passionate about food.

mike65

Can ANYTHING be done to make Couscous even slightly interesting or tasty? Compared to rice its very bland.

I've got a pack in the cupboard but even time I use it I remember why I don't eat it often.

Kovu

mike65 wrote: »

Can ANYTHING be done to make Couscous even slightly interesting or tasty? Compared to rice its very bland.

I've got a pack in the cupboard but even time I use it I remember why I don't eat it often.

I eat a lot of it but only as it's so quick! What way do you make it? I always guesstimate the amount of water to add at this stage as I've done it so often but I always use the same plastic container so I know the level I used it at for months before that. I also use a good knob of butter too, then just cover it fully with book/lid/frying pan.

After that it's spices a go-go. Cracked black pepper & salt, sweet paprika, bit of chili etc. Tumeric is also a good one to add a nice bit of deeper flavour.

Sweet chili sauce & light mayo if I want something creamy. Loooads of different ways. For example, if I have a stew on, I make excess liquid which I then ladle out over cous cous to cook while I thicken the remainder of the pot.

mike65

I think loading on spices is the only way - today I cooked it the standard way with a nob of butter, while the bits on top were onion, mushroom, chickpeas,tinned tomatoes and green beans fried with cumin and cinnamon.

Jezek

mike65 wrote: »

Can ANYTHING be done to make Couscous even slightly interesting or tasty? Compared to rice its very bland.

I've got a pack in the cupboard but even time I use it I remember why I don't eat it often.

Can be made into a kind of tabulleh.

Can be made jeweled with nuts and dried fruits and plenty of spices

It can be served with chicken or lamb with a lot of sauce.

Alun

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Almost a year later but I was in Mr Middleton's Garden Shop on Mary Street in Dublin and they had Lovage plants today. Just in case you're still looking (I did that whiparound-head "Someone on Boards Wanted This!!!' thing when I saw it)

Thanks!! That's some memory I still hadn't found one yet, and I'm unlikely to be heading that way any time soon, but I do see from the website that they do mail order.

Did you get one yourself?

Gloomtastic!

Never had lovage, what's it taste like?

New cooker arrived today! We finally have a fan oven that isn't as loud as a chainsaw.

First meal Macaroni Cheese......

Alun

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Never had lovage, what's it taste like?

Hard to describe, it's pretty unique. I suppose at a pinch you could say it has similarities to celery leaf, but that would be doing it an injustice.

Dubl07

mike65 wrote: »

Can ANYTHING be done to make Couscous even slightly interesting or tasty? Compared to rice its very bland.

I've got a pack in the cupboard but even time I use it I remember why I don't eat it often.

I often use half lemon juice/half water to soak it, then add the spices and herbs; otherwise I generally use chicken stock with tabasco rather than water. Getting flavour inside the grains is key.

Faith

I always cook couscous in chicken stock. Mmm, couscous. I haven't had it in ages!

BaZmO*

Faith wrote: »

I always cook couscous in chicken stock. Mmm, couscous. I haven't had it in ages!

Stock is the only way to go when making it. First few times I tried making (with plain water) I just couldn't understand how it was so tasteless.

After that it's a case of whatever takes your fancy. Chopped up fried chorizo, any type of chopped up veg, chopped herbs (parsley, coriander, mint), squeeze of lemon juice....anything really. I just see it as a way to add carbs to a meal, you just need to add stuff to it that you like.

Animord

Hmmm, starving now - there are some nice looking ideas on the BBC food site here.

Loire

I always put a good knob of butter into my couscous when it's ready too.

Alun

BaZmO* wrote: »

Stock is the only way to go when making it. First few times I tried making (with plain water) I just couldn't understand how it was so tasteless.

Traditionally in North Africa where it originates, couscous (the traditional, non pre-cooked stuff) was simply steamed in the top part of a "couscoussier". This is a big pot the meat and vegetables are cooked in with a steamer that sits atop it. So it'd pick up some flavour from that, but mainly from the watery sauce from the couscous stew and a generous dollop of harissa mixed in with a bit of the sauce on the side.

If you eat it "dry" without any kind of sauce to soak into it then yes it will be bland, and you'll need to both 'cook' it with stock and add some other flavourings to make it palatable.

the beer revolu

Adding lots of other stuff to couscous is the key.
My go to simple one is chopped spring onion, fresh coriander, toasted pine nuts and lemon zest.

Other things I add:

Mint, parsley (any fresh herb really but coriander, mint and parsley go particularly well.

Dried apricots, dried cranberries, raisins, sun dried tomatoes.

Orange zest (particularly good with cranberry).

Pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts, cashew nuts,.

Fresh garlic, ginger, chopped onion, roast garlic, fried onion, chopped tomato (skinned and de-seeded, if you can be arsed).

Olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice.

Salt, pepper, coriander (seed), cumin, allspice, fennel seed, (all ground) paprika, smoked paprika.


Really, almost anything can go in depending on what flavours you're after.
I toss the couscous in a good knob of butter then add twice the volume of water as couscous, cover and leave sit for 10 minutes or so. I usually serve it warm rather than hot.

If serving with a dish with lots of thin, flavoursome sauce you can serve it plain.

Alun

Loire wrote: »

I always put a good knob of butter into my couscous when it's ready too.

Rather than just pour boiling water over it, I melt a good sized knob of butter (or a glug of olive oil) in a pan, put in the couscous and coat it with the butter, pour in the stock, give it a bit of a stir and then put the lid on and leave it. Having the butter (or oil) in it seems to help with fluffing it up once it'd done.

iwantmydinner

Tonight is fridge-clear night. I have chorizo, mushies, cherry toms, rooster spuds, tomato puree, celery, mangetout and broccoli. All need to be used. It's gonna be good!!

Loire

Couldn't agree more!

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/restaurant/neven-maguire-best-chef-in-irish-restaurant-awards-2014-1.1826949